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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
VICTORIA Falls Municipality is seeking to be exempted from the government’s directive compelling local authorities to slash salaries for top managers.
The Chronicle understands that the government capped the salary for Victoria Falls Town Clerk at $3,200, but the local authority’s management is not agreeable to this.

The salary scales for the other council managers could not be ascertained immediately.
The local authority has since resolved that a team comprising the Town Clerk, Christopher Dube, Town Treasurer Thembinkosi Khumalo and Mayor Sifiso Mpofu must meet Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere, over the issue.

The scheduled meeting comes at a time when the government is yet to approve the council’s $20 million budget for 2016 citing failure to rationalise salaries.

The government has stated that salaries must not exceed 30 percent of council revenue.
“Other councils’ budgets have been accepted but ours is still to be approved. Our issue is that of salary rationalisation which is outstanding.
“We’re going to Harare to present our case to the Minister,” said Dube.

He said in as much as they want to abide by the directive, Victoria Falls cannot be treated like other cities or towns as it was a resort area making life expensive.

“The ministry scrutinises the budget and can summon a local authority to defend some issues and in our case it’s not that we’re saying we don’t want to abide by the directive but implementation shouldn’t be uniform,” said Dube.

“Rationalisation came because some councils were performing dismally and owed workers but our case is different as we’re up to date while we also pay other obligations in time.

“The government should consider other factors such as the fact that Victoria Falls is expensive and they should view us differently from other councils.”